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Finney County, Kansas
Finney County (county code FI) is a county located in Southwest Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 36,776. Its county seat and most populous city is Garden City. The Garden City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Finney County. History Finney County began about 1880 as Buffalo County and Sequoyah County, named after Sequoyah, the Cherokee Indian responsible for the development of the Cherokee alphabet. The two counties were renamed Finney County in honor of then Lieutenant Governor David Wesley Finney. The county grew to the current shape after Garfield County was annexed to it in 1893. The northeast block, separate from the otherwise rectangular area, represents what at one time was Garfield County, which is now occupied partially by the Garfield Township.Kansas Place-Names, John Rydjord, University of Oklahoma Press, 1972, ISBN 0-8061-0994-7 Charles "Buffalo" Jones, a co-founder of Garden City, was the first member of the Kansas House of Representatives from Finney County. He was known for his efforts to preserve the buffalo from extinction. Between 2007 and 2008 Finney County became majority-minority.Callebs, Sean. "Whites become minority in Kansas county." CNN. May 22, 2009. Retrieved on May 24, 2009. Law and government Finney County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.93%) is land and (or 0.06%) is water. Adjacent counties * Scott County (north) * Lane County (north) * Ness County (northeast) * Hodgeman County (east) * Haskell County (south) * Gray County (south) * Grant County (southwest) * Kearny County (west) Demographics ]] Map of Finney County (map legend)]] As of the U.S. Census in 2000, there were 40,523 people, 12,948 households, and 9,749 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 13,763 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 69.05% White, 1.25% Black or African American, 0.96% Native American, 2.87% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 22.99% from other races, and 2.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 43.30% of the population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2008, Finney County became a minority-majority county, where 50 percent of all people identified as minorities, mostly Hispanic and Asian. There were 12,948 households out of which 46.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.80% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.70% were non-families. 19.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.55. In the county the population was spread out with 34.30% under the age of 18, 11.00% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 16.60% from 45 to 64, and 7.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 104.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $38,474, and the median income for a family was $42,839. Males had a median income of $29,948 versus $21,510 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,377. About 10.00% of families and 14.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.60% of those under age 18 and 10.70% of those age 65 or over. Cities and towns Incorporated cities Name and population (2008 estimate): * Garden City, 28,557 (county seat) * Holcomb, 1,991 Unincorporated places * Friend * Kalvesta * Knauston * Lowe * Mansfield * Pierceville * Pitt * Plymell * Ritchal * Rodkey Ghost & Abandoned Towns * Amazon * Eminence * Essex * Imperial * Knauston * Leeser * Loya * Pitt * Quinby * Ravanna * Terryton Homesteading in Finney County Townships Finney County is divided into seven townships. The city of Garden City is considered governmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for the townships. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size. } |- | Garfield || 25600 || || 331 || 0 (1) || 1,116 (431) || 1 (0) || 0.09% || |- | Ivanhoe || 34675 || || 666 || 2 (5) || 368 (142) || 0 (0) || 0 % || |- | Pierceville || 55800 || || 551 || 1 (4) || 378 (146) || 0 (0) || 0.01% || |- | Pleasant Valley || 56550 || || 139 || 0 (1) || 371 (143) || 0 (0) || 0 % || |- | Sherlock || 64800 || || 2,758 || 7 (17) || 419 (162) || 0 (0) || 0.09% || |- | Terry || 70225 || || 227 || 1 (2) || 371 (143) || 0 (0) || 0.11% || |- |colspan=9|Sources: |} Education Unified school districts * Holcomb USD 363 * Garden City USD 457 See also * National Register of Historic Places listings in Finney County, Kansas References Further reading * History of the State of Kansas; William G. Cutler; A.T. Andreas Publisher; 1883. (Online HTML eBook) * Kansas : A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc; 3 Volumes; Frank W. Blackmar; Standard Publishing Co; 944 / 955 / 824 pages; 1912. (Volume1 - Download 54MB PDF eBook),(Volume2 - Download 53MB PDF eBook), (Volume3 - Download 33MB PDF eBook) External links ;Official sites * Finney County * Finney County Public Library ;Additional information * Blue Skyways * Kansas Statistical Abstract ;Maps * 2007 Finny County Map, KDOT * 2011 Kansas Highway Map, KDOT * 2011 Kansas Railroad Map, KDOT * 2005 Kansas School District Boundary Map, KSDE Category:Counties of Kansas Category:Finney County, Kansas Category:Established in 1883